A year ago this month, the New England Patriots tried to convince everyone that their appreciation for Wes Welker was deep.

And genuine.

Welker was "a contractual priority," the club said in a news release, and management was hopeful he would "remain a Patriot for years to come."

Uh-huh.

To prevent the NFL's most prolific receiver -- by far -- since 2007 from becoming an unrestricted free agent last year, the Patriots slapped the franchise tag on Welker. Then pissed him off all year in negotiations, right up to Tuesday night.

On Wednesday afternoon, about 25 hours after becoming a free agent, Welker finally had enough. He signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos, the most impactful of another long list of big signings on Day 2 of NFL free agency.

It's too bad so many people, including a large number of paid NFL observers, view Welker as the stereotypical overachieving, hard-working white-guy receiver, who only got all those pass-catching opportunities in New England because the great Tom Brady was the one throwing balls to him.

Not that it didn't help. Still, this conclusion is so unfair to Welker. He might turn 32 on May 1, but the Oklahoma City native remains one of the quickest NFLers in small areas, exactly what you want in a slot receiver.

A radio play-by-play man from my youth used to say of such frustratingly elusive players that he could run around for 15 minutes in a phone booth and never touch the sides.

That's Welker, and he was brilliant in the slot during his six years in Foxboro.

I'm not suggesting you should start a collection for poor ol' Wes. But here's the deal on the money.

By early March last year, Welker thought he'd well earned a long-term deal from the Pats. He had, too. The most the club would him offer was $18 million over two years, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Welker balked, and the Pats tagged him. He earned $9.4 million for the 2012 season, a lofty amount determined not by the Patriots' big-heartedness, but rather by the collective bargaining agreement.

The Broncos now will pay Welker $12 million over the entire two-year deal. That's 36% less annually than his 2012 salary.

Welker might well have become embittered against Patriots management, but Wednesday afternoon he still went back to the club to see if it would match what the Broncos were offering.

Nope.

The Patriots would not offer more than $10 million over two years, with incentives -- $5 million per year, according to NFL Network's Albert Breer.

Rather, the Patriots wanted Danny Amendola instead. The Patriots welcomed in that free-agent slot receiver not even two hours after slamming the door in Welker's face.

Amendola is a Welker clone. Yes, a short, sneaky-fast, overachieving white guy, for those who can only compare similarly skilled players at the same position by their skin colour.

As I pointed out in my free-agency preview the other day, Amendola is a vastly under-rated slot receiver, about as sure-handed and shifty as any in the league. His hands probably are even better than Welker's.

The Pats agreed to pay Amendola $31 million over five years, $10 million of which is guaranteed. That's not much more per year ($6.2 million) than the team offered Welker ($5 million).

But the term is significantly longer. Why? Amendola is 27, five years younger than Welker.

Clearly, for the Patriots that's the key: out with the old, in with the not-as-old.

In the NFL, that's as time-honoured a business plan as screwing around a star player who deserved better.

SEAHAWKS CONTINUE TO UPGRADE

Hooboy. The Seattle Seahawks aren't fooling around.

The NFC West club on Wednesday night agreed to terms with defensive end Cliff Avril, the defender most experts rated as the best of the entire 524-player free-agent crop this year.

The two-year deal hinged on Avril passing a physical, reports said.

The value of the deal was not immediately reported. Avril turned down a three-year, $30-million contract from his old club, the Detroit Lions, before last season.

One of the Seahawks' few glaring roster needs this off-season was to upgrade their pass rush.

That game against Green Bay in September -- when the Seahawks sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times in the first half -- was an anomaly. The team didn't blitz much, and starting defensive end Chris Clemons (with 11.5 sacks and 22 QB hits) and rookie third-down pass-rush specialist Bruce Irvin were about the only players to generate any consistent pressure.

Clemons suffered a torn ACL in Seattle's wildcard playoff win in Washington in January, and his status for September is uncertain.

That's where Avril's presence will surely help.

He had been a Lion since that club drafted him in 2008 -- in the third round, 92nd overall -- out of Purdue University.

Avril had 39.5 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and an interception with the Lions. Last year, when his rookie contract expired, the club franchise-tagged him. That got him a nice $10.6-million, guaranteed salary for the year but no long-term security.

Maybe the best thing? The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Avril is only 26. So the Seahawks will continue to have one of the youngest defences in the NFL.

Seattle already filled its gaping need on offence Monday by acquiring wide receiver Percy Harvin in a trade with Minnesota.

Welker, one of the top unrestricted free agents available, had 118 receptions for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns in 2012 with the New England Patriots. It was his fifth 100-catch season — an NFL record — with the Patriots.

Welker played last season for $9.5 million, the terms applied under the franchise designation, and he and the Patriots reportedly remained far apart in negotiations toward a long-term deal.

The 31-year-old is considered an ideal fit in the Patriots’ offense, but the Broncos offer many of the same perks Welker found in New England.

Denver acquired Peyton Manning in free agency last March and has two promising young receivers, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, to form a potent passing attack that could become lethal by adding Welker as a slot receiver.